If you want to place timber or timber products on the market in the EU for the first time since 03.03.2013 (as a so-called "market participant"), you are obliged to prove that the timber and timber products come from legal sources.

This proof must be provided by complying with certain due diligence requirements. The "due diligence system" includes, among other things:

• Information on the type and origin of the wood,
• facts about the supplier, and
• Procedures to assess and reduce the risk that the timber could be illegally harvested.

This is intended to combat the trade in illegally logged timber. The BLE inspects market participants according to a plan and on the basis of a risk-based approach for compliance with the requirements of the regulation.

You must therefore notify the BLE of your activities as a market participant once before you start importing. Please note that you must also notify the BLE immediately of any changes to the data you have already notified.